


Realistic Fiction

by xSinnamonRollx



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alabama, CREEEEEPERRRRRRR!, F/M, FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSHHHHH, Faffin about, Fic based off Fanfiction, Going betaless, LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETS READ, M/M, MARK NUUUUUUUT, Mavin, RageHappy, Swearing, Team Nice Dynamite, Tease it, Unrequited Love, YOLO, at first anyway, boosh, cabin fic sorta, don't know where I'm going with this, how do tags work, just read it, like diamonds in the sky, people like grapes, pew pew, rt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-19
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2017-12-05 20:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSinnamonRollx/pseuds/xSinnamonRollx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once Gavin googles himself.... watch out Michael, because he's read some things and he wants them to be a reality now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First fic for this Fandom, go easy on me. I really just want to contribute since I believe this pairing needs more chaptered fics and they're just so frickin adorable.

It was probably a long time coming, with all the insinuations, jokes around the office and the urging of the fans. The obsession with same-sex relationships by females and even some males was inconceivable to a certain Gavin Free, so he normally paid no mind to it. That was a bit hard nowadays considering that Ray was a shipper and Michael seemed to be perfectly fine with it all. Though, that could be because the well-known rager was made aware of the little fandom long before Gavin was. That isn’t the case now. It seemed to Gavin that “Mavin” was now a character in every Let’s Play and a day doesn’t go by without at least one person saying “FuckYeahMichaelGavin”. 

So, yeah. It was probably a long time coming. 

That’s not to say that (almost) everyone wasn’t surprised when it finally did happen.

It started when Gavin decided to Google himself. And like many people who gain some sort of fame, he saw things that made him laugh, blush, or cough awkwardly to hide his embarrassment. He never expected to stumble upon a fanfic on Tumblr that not only described his interactions with Michael accurately, but added additional events that made his lower regions respond in a way Gavin didn’t quite approve of, not that his other head needed his approval in the first place. He was shocked to say the least though. Shocked that someone would seriously sit down and type such mature themes with sophisticated language about people whom they never met in real life. Shocked that up until the kissing, Gavin saw the conversation about betting Michael to drink everything in the mini fridge mixed into one cup for a hundred bucks actually happening. Shocked that he responded to the written invasion and what could be called mind-rape with a spark of anticipation and hitching of breath. Upon realizing himself, Gavin promptly shut his laptop and pushed away from his desk. 

_Why would anyone type such things? It’s insane. I can’t read anymore._

Gavin’s thoughts contradicted his hands which opened the laptop back up and clicked the bottom link for the next chapter. He wanted to look away but he found himself unable to. _What if…_ No. He wouldn’t dare go down that road. No matter the temptation, it’s wrong. And Michael has Lindsay. Gavin feels like a crappy friend for even contemplating thinking about thinking about “Mavin”.

So he tries to forget what he read and continues on with his life.

 

*** 

The next mention of Mavin doesn’t come for about two blissful weeks. Gavin was still the subject of ridicule in the workplace and off the site, Michael still had a never ending supply of rage, Ray was masturbating as Tuxedo Mask in Minecraft, and Geoff was struggling to seem sober after downing more beers than usual, which was really saying something when you stop to think about it. 

“Mi-cool, do you ever stop to think that if you weren’t always so rage-y, you’d be mad?” Michael swivels in his chair with a narrowed eye’d expression and faint annoyance. 

“What the fuck are you talking about Gavin?”

“Well, I mean, it’s normal that you’re always yelling bloody murder but normal people aren’t like that, so what if you were normal and then you’d go crazy because you aren’t happy unless you’re raging.” Gavin looks at his friend with wide eyes and lips parted slightly.

“Do you ever really hear the words you speak, Gavin?... Actually, don’t answer that because either way, you’re a dumb fuck.” Gavin pouts and sinks into his chair. He turns to his monitor and mutters something about certain people being unnecessarily mean. Michael grins, content at this near daily routine and throws a paper ball at the Brit, hitting him on his, quite frankly, hard to miss nose. Gavin yelps in that annoying high pitched sound and the other bursts out laughing. At this moment, Ray takes off his headphones, looks between the two guys and loudly says “Looks like it’s a Mavin day again. Should I leave you two alone? I don’t feel like being scarred today.” Gavin feels his cheeks beginning to burn and quickly turns away from the other guys, while Michael just snickers, not noticing Gavin’s reaction.

“Dude, you wish you had in on this relationship. You’re just mad that the fans keep pairing you with Dan.” 

“DAN IS THE MAN. I’M HAPPY TO BE FICTIONALLY WITH HIM.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, buddy.” Gavin quietly gets up while Michael and Ray bicker and walks out the room. He takes a deep breath as he steps into the hall, planning to go get a drink and some fresh air as the guys get louder with increasingly vulgar insults. As he begins to walk, Geoff magically, at least that’s how Gavin sees it, appears next to him. The older male keeps up with the Brit silently for a few minutes before abruptly breaking the silence.

“So… Gavin…. How often do you think about boning Michael, honestly?” Gavin trips over his own feet and looks at Geoff as he regains his footing. He mouths a couple of unclear words before stuttering out a whisper of something that sounds like “What????”

Geoff simply grins and has a strangely mischievous look, similar to the one he gets when he makes a bet he knows he’s going to win. Gavin understandably gets a chill down his spine as he registers that small observation and begins to compose himself, or at least appear that way. 

“I don’t quite understand what you mean Geoffrey.” 

“Cut the shit Gavin,” Geoff says with a roll of his eyes, “ I saw you reading fanfiction about ‘Mavin’.” His grin widens at Gavin’s increasingly panicked expression. “Relax, it’s not like I’m about to run around yelling about your little flourishing fetish. If you really didn’t want anyone to know, you should’ve closed the door while you’re leering at your fantasy fictional Michael. Besides, even if I hadn’t stumbled on that, I noticed the way you’ve been eyeing the guy for the past few weeks. It’s a little on the creepy side, to be honest, but hey, who am I to judge?”

Gavin is struck speechless and Geoff takes this as the go ahead to explain his grand master plan, for what is he but a grand master plan master? 

 

*** 

He had to admit that the plan made sense and it really didn’t require him to put too much effort into it, which was a huge plus in Gavin’s opinion. _But what if Geoff’s plan actually works? What then? What do I do? Do I… I dunno… would that make me a homewrecker because of Lindsay?_

Gavin may have eventually succeeded in talking himself out of the plan if it weren’t for Griffon being in on it as well and using her totally unfair female based persuasion techniques. 

“You guys are best friends and you have inside jokes and tease each other like an old married couple. I like Lindsay, but Mavin is hotter. You need to go for it.”

That pretty much settled it for the foreigner.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, well, if this is a bad time, I can just go and not tell you about the trip Geoff is sending us on.” Gavin looks at the phone confused. _A trip? Geoff didn’t mention anythi-… oh, no… that little git. Bullocks._

If you were to go on the internet and search a certain set of words that you found while googling a secret midnight fascination, you’d come across a set of links that would take you to photoshopped images and, to be blunt, erotic, pornographic fiction that has no reason being read by naïve minds. 

Enter Gavin.

As part of Geoff’s (and apparently Griffon’s) master plan, Gavin had some homework to do before the week ended. So here he was, Wednesday night, sitting on his creaky bed, blankets scrunched up in a crater like fashion around his body and a laptop resting on a pillow on his lap. He’s hunched over the screen, knowing that his back will probably be sore when he gets up, but Gavin is sure he can just tell the pain to go away and it’ll listen just like his colds. His eyes greedily swallow up the chaptered detailed story displayed on his monitor and he finds that he doesn’t quite feel so ashamed anymore, compared to a few days ago. Perhaps it was the constant encouragement of the two people he sees as his American parents or maybe it was just the way of the Free. Either way, Gavin was now sure he knew more than Michael and Ray combined when it came to Mavin and the RageHappy fandoms. He even made his own account on Tumblr called MarkNuttttt16. It was simple and anonymous due to the fact that several Mark Nutt combinations were taken before Gavin was able to find an available one. 

The current story he was reading had a little something to do with Gavin’s nonexistent fear of the dark and a little something to do with Michael’s possible fetish of having intense sex with the lights off. So when his phone began vibrating under his left leg, he gave a soft squeak of surprise and then an annoyed groan a millisecond later as he realized he pressed the backspace key when he had jumped from the sudden vibrations and had no idea how far along the page he was. He picked up the phone without looking at the screen and the annoyance was evident in his accent as he answered with a terse “Hello?”

“What the fuck crawled up your ass and died?” Michael’s voice sounds faintly amused and curious, and Gavin takes a sudden breath as the voice registers with his ears and all his frustration rushed out his lungs as he exhaled.

“Mi-Cool… What… Why are you calling me right now?” While Gavin may have perked up at the sound of the American’s voice on almost every occasion, he couldn’t help but be a little chagrined at having to search for his place again in the story and being disturbed at one of the best parts this particular time.

“Oh, well, if this is a bad time, I can just go and not tell you about the trip Geoff is sending us on.” Gavin looks at the phone confused. _A trip? Geoff didn’t mention anythi-… oh, no… that little git. Bullocks._

“Wait, let’s not be too hasty Michael. Is this an Achievement Hunter thing or more RT-ish?”

“Ummm… to be honest, I would say more Michael-Gavin-ish. See, Geoff didn’t really explain what kind of trip he was sending us on, but he did say it would be us two and that ‘our task’, whatever the fuck that means, is important… I was actually calling to see if you had a clue, but then, I forgot that you’re Gavin for a second and are shit out of clues for the rest of your life.”

“Well, that’s not very nice.” Gavin says automatically while his mind goes into hyperdrive about this new development. He knows that Geoff certainly has an ulterior motive, but what he doesn’t know is how exactly this was going to assist Gavin in wooing Michael. As if called upon, Gavin’s chat box on his laptop gives off a loud beep and he sees the username **B0N3RZ69** pop up. It’s quite obvious who that username belongs to.

“Gavin? What the fuck you shithead, you’re ignoring me now?” Michael sounds exasperated and, Gavin notices, a little tired.

“You should go to sleep lad, I’ve got to…. Finish editing a video… I’ll find out about this trip thing in the morning and get back to you. G’night.” He hangs up the phone without waiting for a reply and opens the chat box.

 **B0N3RZ69 (12:57am)-** You, Michael, trip to Alabama for a week. You’re leaving Mon.  
 **Gavino (1:02am)-** What? Why???  
 **B0N3RZ69 (1:04am)-** Because I’m your boss.  
 **Gavino (1:05am)-** He just called me asking about it.. the hell am I supposed to tell him?  
 **B0N3RZ69 (1:07am)-** You can always try the truth.  
 **Gavino (1:09am)-** You’re so funny Geoff… That was sarcasm by the way.  
 **B0N3RZ69 (1:10am)-** Really? I couldn’t tell.  
 **Gavino (1:12am)-** Well, that’s why I told you, you silly sausage.  
 **B0N3RZ69 (1:13am)-** Sarcasm, Gavin… I was perfecting it.   
**Gavino (1:16am)-** ……………………………. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I see.  
 **B0N3RZ69 (1:18am)-** If you really want to know why I’m suddenly sending you on a trip to my home state, hold on while I send you a link.

Gavin waits patiently for a whole 4 seconds before he’s sighing restlessly and glaring at his monitor. He was about to type out another message when the chat pings again and there’s a string of glowing blue words that means he can get to clicking. As Gavin scrolls through the page Geoff sent him, his eyes widen in disbelief and understanding. In front of him is another fanfic… about a trip. With just Gavin and Michael. Alone. In Alabama. 

He skims through the passage, pausing at words that catch his eye and then scrolls back to the top to actually read when he deems it interesting enough. It’s a short fic, only a couple of hundred words, and it’s actually quite sweet, although there are many grammar and spelling errors. There’s only a hint of Mavin and it revolves around Gavin’s very real fear of heights. He gets to the end, smiling at the imagery pleasantly floating around in his head of Michael hugging and telling him that he’ll always be there. Another ping interrupts his day(night?)dreaming:

 **B0N3RZ69 (1:30am)-** Well?   
**Gavino (1:30am)-** I’m in.   
**B0N3RZ69 (1:31am)-** Good. I already paid for the tickets… You owe me 1600$ btw.   
**Gavino (1:32am)-** WHAT?????   
**B0N3RZ69 has logged off.**   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that I'll be updating this at the very least, once a week. It really depends on what day I have off and whatever other excuse I manage to pull out of my ass. This is going a little better than I expected so hopefully the fic can only get better. I don't know how many chapters this is going to be yet, I'm still writing as I go, but I have a bunch of ideas I want to get in here. So, hope you guys enjoy! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Let me get this straight… You expect me and Michael to live together, for a week, in a cabin, for a nonexistent gaming convention thing, alone? With no adult supervision? GEOFF! HE’S GOING TO RAGE ME TO DEATH!! What the smeckpot are you thinking?”

Michael wasn’t really sure what was going on. Geoff was randomly sending him and Gavin to the middle of fuckin nowhere for a gaming convention that nobody has ever fuckin heard of. “Gametime in Montgomery”? Really? That was what they chose to call the piece of crap? What kind of games are they going to have there? Galatica? Fuckin BubbleWorld? To make matters worse, he was spending a week there… with Gavin. Yeah, Gavin was one of his best friends, and yeah, they have some pretty good laughs together, but it was _Gavin_. Annoying British Gavin. And they were supposed to spend a week together. A whole fuckin week. Michael was not pleased.

Not to mention that Geoff was suddenly a cryptic asshole. 

“Dude, trust me… You’re going to have so much fun. It’s going to be fuckin bananas.” And he had the nerve to add that jovial laugh that’s usually contagious as dicks, but not today. No, Michael was just pissed and confused. Especially since he had promised Lindsay he was going to spend more time with her rather than hanging with the guys after work. There goes that plan.

“What? What do you mean you’re going to Alabama for a week? I made dinner reservations and had things planned and…” Michael had kissed her so she could shut up for a second, but she pushed him away with an angry shove of her arms. She crossed them and glared at the redhead for a moment before huffing loudly and punching him lightly on the arm. 

“You’re an asshole Michael… But at least I don’t have to worry about anything since you’re going to be stuck with Gavin.” She smiled as Michael groaned at the reminder and decided that perhaps her anger was unwarranted. She pulled him in for a sweet kiss that very quickly became not so sweet and Michael knew that although he was not quite in the clear, Lindsay would forgive him.

That’s if he survived this trip of course.

***

Gavin was glaring. Well, it was more like he was squinting his eyes while trying to appear menacing and failing miserably. His lips kept traitorously twitching into the default smile he always had on and Griffon wasn’t making matters better as she stood behind Geoff, making dorky faces. 

“But Geoff, there isn’t a gaming thingymajig in Montgomery. Michael isn’t going to fall for it.” Gavin ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up precariously in all sorts of angles. His arm fell back to his side as he decided to give up glaring in favor of a puppy dog look. Griffon stopped making her faces long enough to let out a soft “awww”. Geoff, however, wisely averted his eyes, wishing he had a whisky bottle to focus on. 

“Listen, the plan is great. The area I’m sending you guys to is a decent quiet place… You guys will have the cabin to yourse-“

“Cabin? What are you going on about?” 

“Oh… didn’t I mention that? I have this cabin in Alabama that my parents left me and I’m gonna let you guys stay there for the duration of the trip. It’s pretty ingenious if I say so myself.” Griffon coughs behind his back and he sighs before adding, “Okay, so it was my lovely wife’s idea. Happy, honey?” Gavin scoffs at the way Griffon smiles at the drunk and wracks his brain for an adequate argument.

“Let me get this straight… You expect me and Michael to live together, for a week, in a cabin, for a nonexistent gaming convention thing, alone? With no adult supervision? GEOFF! HE’S GOING TO RAGE ME TO DEATH!! What the smeckpot are you thinking?” 

“You’re worrying about nothing. Michael isn’t going to question anything and besides, the trip is already set up… Plus, if I must remind you, I’m your boss and as your boss, I order you to go on this trip with Michael so you can fuckin bone him already and stop your little fangirling.”

“I don’t fangi-“

“Whatever. You’re going on this trip, that’s it. Griffon, back me up.” She looks up and nods as Gavin groans, mumbling some type of obscenity.

 

***

Michael meets Gavin at the Ramsey’s household with his bags in tow and a glare in his eyes. He pounds on the door with unnecessary force, which results in a pissed off Geoff overriding Michael’s glare with a more powerful one of his own. He ushers the younger male inside, slamming the door which in turn results in an annoyed Griffon coming down the stairs, rubbing sleep from her eyes. A wordless conversation passes between the couple while Michael stands there awkwardly, for once wishing that Gavin would hurry so they could leave. Geoff sighs as Griffon inevitably wins whatever telepathic argument they were having and shoos Michael into the living room. Michael sits on the couch, going through his phone to pass the time as his boss climbs the stairs, presumably to get the Brit. He’s going through his texts when he hears a loud thump almost directly above him, and at first, he ignores it. But then he hears a high pitched squeal and somehow he knows that it’s Gavin at the mercy of Geoff, and for some reason, he’s not too concerned about it.

“BUT I THOUGHT SHE LEFT IT FOR ME. I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS HERS.”

“FOR FUCK’S SAKE, IT’S A WOMAN’S SHIRT GAVIN. HOW DID YOU MISTAKEN IT FOR YOURS?

“I DON’T BLOODY KNOW!!! OW. STOP THAT!”

Michael is still laughing when Gavin finally makes it downstairs, hair disheveled, holding his left arm and a very self-satisfied looking Geoff behind him.

“Alright guys, you can proceed to get the hell out of my house and this state and I’ll see you next week. Have a safe trip, whatever. Bye.” Geoff pushes Michael and Gavin out the door, leaving them stumbling down the porch steps as he slams it shut behind them. They look at each other, Gavin with a slight grin, Michael with a slight grimace and take the first steps to a very eventful week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG. Thank you everyone for your comments and kudos. I really didn't expect much for this fic so I'm definitely very happy. I admit this chapter isn't much but the next one is basically going to be day one of the boys "alonetime". This isn't going to be one of those fics where they're alone, one of them makes a move and BOOM! Mavin. No, I'm going to prolong this and everything is going to gradually fall into place. Hope you guys enjoy :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What, douchlord? Have you done it yet?” Gavin rolls his eyes, ignoring the heat flaring up on his cheeks, having already anticipated this sort of response.
> 
> “Geoffrey, stop faffing around and tell me where we’re supposed to go. We just got off the plane.”

“GAVIN NO. FUCKIN NOOOO.” They haven’t even boarded the plane and Gavin has already annoyed Michael near to death. To be fair, the Brit accomplishes this on a daily basis, but it was much more of a grievance when it was the ass-crack of dawn and Michael has yet to have even a cup of coffee let alone something to eat. Which is why when Gavin excitedly grabbed Michael when he saw what the fuck ever, probably waffles or some shit, and caused Michael to drop his steaming cup of caffeine, the ginger was far from pleased and was maybe just a bit close to pure rage. No correlation to his nickname whatsoever.

He shrugs the Brit off and begins to head towards the store in the airport to purchase sleep-curing items again. Or rather, he would’ve purchased his sleep-curing items again if not for his flight being called and the sudden surplus of people rushing passed him. He ends up riding the masses and before he even comprehends what happened, he’s at his seat on the plane. Michael looks around and above the heads of people putting away their carry-on bags trying to catch a glimpse of Gavin, but with no luck. He’s about to push past a young boy and his mother to look for the residential idiot when a stewardess urges him to take his seat.

“Sir, we’re about to take off, please have a seat and put your seatbelt on.” She places a firm hand his shoulder, physically pushing him into his seat. Michael is pretty sure that this could pass as some sort of violence or harassment somewhere but he’s more concerned about Gavin’s whereabouts right now.

“Wait, listen, my friend still hasn’t gott-“

“Sir, you don’t need to worry, just remain seated and we’ll take off shortly.” She walks away promptly, obviously not really listening to him. _Well… what a bitch_. Michael can feel his anger starting to bubble up and he’s about to yell something quite vulgar after her when someone topples over his lap into the seat next to him.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!?.... Oh… Gav, it’s you,” Michael pauses for a moment before proceeding. “WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU??? THE PLANE IS ABOUT TO FUCKIN TAKE OFF AND YOU’RE DOING WHO KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK AND THE STEWARDESS IS A FUCKIN BITCH WHO PROBABLY SPITS IN PEOPLE’S FOOD AND SHIT.” Gavin looks at the other with a wide grin and wordlessly holds out a cup and a brown paper bag. 

“The fuck is this shit?” Michael asks even as he smells the fresh hot coffee and opens the bag to find a warm buttered bagel. He pauses, half wondering what kind of prank Gavin is about to pull on him and half not giving a fuck because he’s pretty much too hungry to care.

“I swear, if this shit is poisoned or fuckin disgusting, I’m going to be really upset after I throw up, Gavin.” The foreigner laughs and shakes his head.

“Michael, you donut, this is my peace offering. You looked a bit mad that your stuff fell before that I actually felt a little bad.” He smiles again, eyes sincere and Michael feels some of his earlier annoyance melt away. After all, who was he to turn down food that was offered so graciously? Besides, Gavin _did_ owe him, so it’s whatever, right?

 

***

When the plane landed, Gavin made sure that all their stuff was ready to grab and go and allowed himself to indulge in the image of a sleeping, peaceful Michael. Rare in most parts of the world, the sleeping Michael is a quiet being who smiles softly to his dreams and will sometimes snore lightly. As he stares at Michael’s still face, Gavin recalls a fic he read the night before that resembles the current situation. He would lean closer, sweeping Michael’s curls from his smooth forehead, fingers lingering on skin, breath louder than thoughts racing. It would be a magical moment as lips touched and Michael’s eyes opened as his senses burst in a startling clarity of sleepy pleasure and surprise. 

The real Michael stirs, forcing Gavin to blink rapidly in order to chase away the images still floating around inside his head.

“A-are we there?” Michael asks in a gravelly voice still thick with sleep. Gavin swallows and nods, not trusting his voice to be steady enough to not inspire suspicion. He lets the other shuffle out of his seat first, following closely behind and shoulders both of the bags. Michael either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care and makes his way off the plane, only stumbling once, which is a feat Gavin admires since he stumbles at least four times and doesn’t have the excuse of being half asleep. 

When they finally exit the airport, Gavin calls up Geoff, since he forgot where exactly they were supposed to go after the flight. Michael wanders off, probably in search of more food or a place to sit so he can have a few more minutes of naptime.

“What, douchlord? Have you done it yet?” Gavin rolls his eyes, ignoring the heat flaring up on his cheeks, having already anticipated this sort of response.

“Geoffrey, stop faffing around and tell me where we’re supposed to go. We just got off the plane.”

“I gave you the instructions loud and clear, Gavin! I was supposed to be clear of you for a week. Work with me here!” Gavin huffs and argues with the other male for a few minutes until he finally gets the information he needs. 

“All right dickwad, don’t call again until you get laid.” The Brit doesn’t have time to retaliate as Geoff hangs up. Gavin is still glaring at the phone when Michael makes his way back, carrying two cups of steaming liquid. 

“Did the phone outsmart you again, dude? You look like you’re about to pop a vein.” Michael offers him one of the cups, which Gavin takes warily. It’s one thing for Gavin to show an act of kindness because of his irrational crush, it’s another thing entirely for Michael to actually return the favor. He takes a surreptitious sniff before taking a cautious sip and his face instantly explodes into a smile. 

“Mi-cool…. You got me tea! You hate tea.” Michael groans and begins walking away again.

“Dude, I’m just repaying you for the coffee earlier. It’s not like I actually like you all of a sudden. I still hate your guts.”

“But Mi-cool, this means you hate my guts in a really nice way. I’m touched!” Gavin slings one arm over the other’s shoulder, pretending he doesn’t feel a spark shoot up from where his hand brushes against Michael’s neck. He pretends he doesn’t feel a little disappointed when Michael shrugs him off with a grin. He pretends that he doesn’t want to walk by Michael’s side, hands intertwined, swinging between them. Because really, that stuff only happens in the fics.

 

***

 

When they finally make it to the cabin after an hour long bus ride and 15 minutes of harsh, life-threatening walking (at least in Gavin’s eyes), they weren’t quite prepared for what they saw. It wasn’t like they expected the place to be in shambles (well maybe Michael did, but that was because the place is, after all, owned by Geoff), and they didn’t think it was going to be high class (because, again, owned by Geoff). But what surprised them was how homey the place felt. It felt like a place you would _want_ to rest your head, rather than feel obligated to. It was a place where you could bring a friend, your parents, a lover and it would accommodate all your needs to suit each individual. 

As they strolled through the place, Michael and Gavin noted what areas they would call their own for the remainder of their stay. Gavin immediately gravitated to the large bedroom, a blue and gray theme to it and wide windows that you can lean out of. There was a desk in the corner where he could easily set up his laptop and camera if he chose to do so. 

Michael found a smaller bedroom that reminded him of the one he shares with Lindsay, if not for the purplish tone. And he would say, no matter what, that it was a manly type of purple and as a man, he felt comfortable actually liking it. Fuck you if you think differently. 

They met back up in the living room area, simultaneously collapsing on the black, cushiony sofa. 

“Well… this doesn’t seem too bad.” Michael comments, eyeing the flat screen TV in front of him. 

“’Doesn’t seem too bad’? Mi-cool, this is _top_! We should live here and make our living scavenging the woods for food and forging torches out of sticks.”

“Gav, we’re less than 20 minutes away from the supermarket. We can fuckin walk there.”

“But what if there’s an earthquake that divides us from civilization and we have to scavenge? And then, you would have to say to yourself that I was right and you’re gonna have to buy the torches from me because I made them all.”

“What if, you shut the fuck up, Gavin? Christ, for a second I thought I might actually enjoy it here and then you had to go and remind me that you exist.” And if Gavin hadn’t seen the soft smile playing upon Michael’s lips he might’ve actually taken offense to that. As it was, he saw the secretive smile and thought to himself that this might actually work out. 

_I mean, all I need to do is get Michael to forget about Lindsay, develop feelings for me, keep him happy, find a way to break it to Lindsay that I stole her boyfriend and make Michael fall in love with me. Piece of cake._

And when Michael’s phone rang, Gavin’s confidence wasn’t dented dramatically as Michael’s eyes suddenly lit up and he answered it with a sweet sounding “Hey, babe”. No, Gavin didn’t get up, muttering about unpacking in a downcast tone. He didn’t close the door, fall backwards on his (very comfortable) bed and cover his face with a pillow. He didn’t do that because that would mean that Gavin had doubts. And Gavin Free does not know the meaning of doubt.

So what he actually did when Michael’s phone rang was snatch it out of the American’s hand and answered it saying,

“Sorry, Michael isn’t available. He’s doing some very important stuff that includes beer and porn and I promise it’s work-related. See, right now, he’s making these strange hand motions. I think it’s a mating call of sorts.” Lindsay laughs on the other line and tells Gavin to take care of Michael.

“Of course I will, he’s my boy.” He hangs up with a grin and throws the phone back at Michael who is struggling between faux anger and resigned amusement. He settles for a mixture of both, shoving Gavin as he walks past, muttering “fucker” under his breath. Gavin lets himself relish the split-second of contact before settling back down on the sofa, watching Michael walk away. 

He pulls out his own phone, clicking the browser and goes to a now familiar bookmark. It’s time to do a little research before he puts into action any of his plans. 

_This trip is going to be tippity top._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love it when I'm on time for my updates. I also love it when people shower me with the sort of compliments and awesomeness as you guys have. Your comments have made my day and I'm so glad you guys actually like this. I will still be maintaining this weekly update system I have going on and hopefully I'll continue not being late xD. On that note, thank you so much for reading and commenting and just being awesome like this pairing. The RoosterTeeth fandom as a whole has been one of the nicest fandoms I've ever been a part of. 
> 
> xoxo


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But Mi-Cool,” Michael jumps at the sound of Gavin’s voice, a look of surprise that quickly turns into annoyance. “that’s not true because I can cook just fine.”
> 
> “But Gavin,” the American replies in a mock British accent, “you don’t count as a guy. Pretty sure we established this at some point.”

Gavin wakes up to the smell of cooking food. Well, if he was being accurate, it was more like the stench of burning eggs and toast, with the added bonus of the sound of Michael’s latest Rage Quit: Breakfast. He gets up, stretching his slim limbs, cracking a few joints here and there and pads towards the offensive activities in the kitchen. As he walks, he can begin to make out his “roommate’s” declarations. 

“Fuckin shit, how the fuck do people even cook? This is fuckin impossible. This is why men should not be in the kitchen.”

“But Mi-Cool,” Michael jumps at the sound of Gavin’s voice, a look of surprise that quickly turns into annoyance. “that’s not true because I can cook just fine.”

“But Gavin,” the American replies in a mock British accent, “you don’t count as a guy. Pretty sure we established this at some point.”

Gavin snorts and bumps Michael out of the way, picking up the now dirty pans and shoving them into the sink. He goes to the fridge and picks up some fresh eggs and bacon, setting up what appears to be the beginnings of a Gavin-Homemade-Breakfast-Meal…. Thing. Michael watches along curiously, having never witnessed the Brit in the kitchen before, nevermind actually cooking edible food. He tries to pick up an egg to crack it, but Gavin slaps his hand away with a “tsk, tsk” and snatches the egg back with a grin. After a few other failed attempts of trying to participate, Michael ends up giving up, going to the living room and sitting down on the sofa.

He’s flicking through the channels when Gavin flops down beside, loudly chewing as if he were a fuckin cow munching on hay or whatever the fuck cows eat. 

“Where the fuck is my plate, bitch?” Gavin looks over at the other with a confused expression before shrugging and turning his attention to the TV, taking another bite out of some bacon. Michael contemplates his next course of action. He could calmly get up and go to the kitchen to get his own plate of food like a reasonable guy, or….

“Oi! I was eating that!!!” Michael smirks as he pops the half eaten piece of toast and bacon he snatched out of Gavin’s hand into his mouth. He doesn’t stop there though. Next thing the foreigner knows, half his eggs are gone with a monster forkful and it was like bacon never existed on his plate. Michael laughs as Gavin huffs, not even realizing that this was partially what he wanted to happen.

“Should’ve gotten me my own plate, fucker.” 

“You know what? We just swapped spit. We just indirectly kissed. I’m telling Lindsay.” Now it’s Gavin’s turn to laugh at the expression that passes across the other’s face. Michael fake gags, using a tissue to wipe his tongue, only to actually gag as the wet paper ends up sticking to various areas in his mouth. He spits and sputters, spurring on Gavin’s amusement. The Brit gets up, heading back to the kitchen and comes back with a glass of orange juice and another plate of food.

This ends up being one of the many memories that they’ll laugh about in the future, with Michael just realizing the ulterior motives and Gavin admitting that it wasn’t well thought out at all, but it worked well enough at the time. 

 

***

Ray is pretty sure that something is going on that he should know about, because a Ray in the dark is an unhappy Ray and that doesn’t bode well for anyone in the office. He tries to sneak around, eavesdropping on a couple of conversations here and there, but all he gathers is that Jack is a truly horrible singer and that Joel does questionable things to questionable objects in must-be-avoided-at-all-times places. 

He thinks about confronting Geoff, but he knows that it won’t do any good, especially since he believes that the residential drunk is the one keeping the secret. And he won’t dare go to Griffon, who’ll probably end up twisting his words and make him seem like _he’s_ the one keeping things to himself.

So, by logical deduction, Ray goes to Millie. A child with a natural curiosity and small size that lets her crawl into small spaces, she’s the perfect informant. The payment, of course, is a few sweets. 

“Do you have the M&Ms? They need to be red and blue. All of them.” Millie stage whispers with her wide innocent eyes and hands outstretched. Ray reaches into his pockets and pulls out a ziplock bag of about 50 red and blue M&Ms. He had to go through about 14 packs, but it wasn’t like he had anything important to do anyway. Nevermind that Halo video he’s been putting off editing for a few days now. 

She reaches for the bag a gleam in her eyes, but Ray holds it just out of her reach.

“Information first, then candy.” The kid pouts, jumping up and down to try to get the bag by sheer force of will. 

It doesn’t work. 

“Fine. Daddy’s been talking about a plan for Michael and Gavvy. I think they’re supposed to become superfriends so Gavvy could stop being on his computer so much. Daddy said that Gavvy has to have a sleepover with Michael or something while they’re in Alabama.” Ray waits a few moments before realizing that she’s done and waiting expectantly for her payment. He sighs and hands over the bag, smiling at her little squeal of happiness.

His smile quickly disappears, however, as she skips away, yelling for Geoff.

“DADDY. LOOKIE WHAT X-RAY GAVE ME FOR TELLING HIM ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT GAVVY AND MICHAEL.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry guys. I'm horrible for being late with this crappy update. ;_; I'm just gonna....go in that corner and cry....
> 
> But, on a serious note, I ended up not being happy with my first draft of this chapter and ended up saying "NOPE. NO ME GUSTA. REWRITE." and I had just redo the entire chapter... I'm still not really happy with it, but it's much better than what I first had. 
> 
> I wanna thank everyone who has commented, kudos'd, subscribed, bookmarked, read and/or sniffed this. It's awesome. Keep doing it. 
> 
> I'll try to update again in a few days. <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin gets out of bed again reluctantly, this time taking more care with his electronics. He follows the noise down the hall to Michael’s room. A flash of lightening gives the cabin an eerie glow for a brief second before another clap of thunder booms, sending small vibrations through Gavin’s body. He stops in the doorway of Michael’s room and stands there, shocked.

It’s only their second night here and patience is already starting to run low. To be fair, it’s not like Gavin can control the weather. It’s not his fault a storm came strolling by and is now lingering directly over the cabin. It’s not like he knew Michael’s room was going to basically flood because of a bunch of leaks in the ceiling. In fact, this could all be blamed on Geoff since he’s the one who owns the place, but, unfortunately, Michael doesn’t see it that way. 

It doesn’t help that Gavin refuses to control his laughter when he sees the room and the sole occupant soaked.

The storm snuck up on them. It was a warm night, with a faint breeze rustling the drapes, a bit cloudy, but not enough in the sky to make cause for concern. Gavin and Michael had just finished saying their good nights, heading their separate ways to their respective bedrooms. A few hours later, Gavin was still up, reading a story about an alternate universe where he and Michael were high school sweethearts brought together by an asshole teacher named Mr. Burns. It was seven chapters and Gavin had just made it to the end of chapter 5 (where Michael may or may not have been about to ask Gavin on a date) when he heard the first clap of thunder. He hops out of his bed, narrowly saving his laptop from an untimely death of carelessness and gravity, and heads to the window. He’s slightly surprised to see the outside world getting slaughtered by an onslaught of rain and wind. It’s quiet inside the cabin, only a slight whistle of wind being whispered throughout the house, no doubt from a window left ajar. Gavin shuffles back to his bed, wrapping his blanket snug around him. He reaches for his laptop, eager to know how the story ends, though he’s fairly sure it’s a happy ending since he stays away from any fic that has a tag of character death or angst. Just as his eyes begin to take in more, he hears an enraged shout down the hall, followed by some banging and… is that sloshing?

Gavin gets out of bed again reluctantly, this time taking more care with his electronics. He follows the noise down the hall to Michael’s room. A flash of lightening gives the cabin an eerie glow for a brief second before another clap of thunder booms, sending small vibrations through Gavin’s body. He stops in the doorway of Michael’s room and stands there, shocked. 

There before him is a dripping Michael, rushing about the room with a pot and a bucket, trying to figure out which of the many leaks needs the most attention. The answer is all of them, of course, though Michael seems to not realize that yet. His hair is plastered to his forehead, small rivets of water making their way down his naked back, soaking into dark blue boxers which are beginning to sag under the water weight. 

Gavin takes a few moments to document this sight into his memory for future (and often) viewing, before clearing his throat to gain the other’s attention. A bubble of laughter claws its way out his throat as he watches Michael get startled into dropping the pot he had in his hand, spilling water over himself and the already quite wet ground. The dripping male attempts to glare at Gavin, but that’s a bit hard to do when water keeps getting into his eyes and he has to blink rapidly to clear them. Gavin gives up trying to hold in his laughter and nearly bursts with it. 

“What… wot happened here?” Gavin gasps out between an alteration of giggles and guffaws. 

“THE FUCK DOES IT LOOK LIKE DIPSHIT? IT’S RAINING. AS IN WATER FROM THE FUCKIN SKY, GAVIN.” 

“But… it’s coming from the ceiling… that’s not supposed to happen now is it?”

“No. It’s not. Thank you Captain fuckin Obvious. Are you just going to stand there or help me, you ass?” Gavin looks at the other amused.

“I’m not stepping into there. It’s wet.” Michael groans and picks up the fallen pot, looking around for a place to put it down. After a few seconds of looking pathetic, he gives up and throws the pot back down and makes his way out the room. Gavin steps out the way, careful not to touch the other male. 

“What? You're scared of water now?” Michael advances toward the now retreating male, a smile beginning to work its way across his lips. He lunges towards Gavin, who immediately squeals and turns to run. He isn’t quite fast enough and stumbles to the wall as Michael tackles him from behind, getting his t-shirt damp. He can feel Michael’s breath of laughter on the back of his neck and tries to convince himself that the goosebumps that begin to rise are from the chill of water. The other steps back (much too soon in Gavin’s opinion) and shakes his head, spraying stray water droplets everywhere like a dog. 

“Aw, c’mon now Michael. That was entirely unnecessary. Now I’m all wet.”

“That’s what she said.” Gavin groans, and begins to walk towards his bedroom, shrugging his shirt off.

“Oh, are we stripteasing now?” Michael says, wriggling his eyebrows in a playfully suggestive way,   
trailing behind the now shirtless Brit. At this point, Gavin realizes that both he and Michael are clad in only boxers, with the older male’s hanging low on his hips since they’re still soaked. He tries to ignore the flutter deep in his stomach as he rummages through his things to find a new shirt. He settles on a dark red tee with faded lettering long rendered unreadable. As he pulls it over his head, he turns his head to see Michael navigating his room, eyeing the spacious bed and toeing the plush carpeting. 

“Hey, how come your room is better than mine? You fuckin got a carpet. That’s like a bed for your feet.” Gavin laughs and throws an extra shirt at Michael. As much as he would like to devour with his eyes Michael’s chest, that might be considered a bit awkward at the moment. 

Thunder booms again, even louder than before, forcing a very slight flinch from Gavin. Unfortunately, it wasn’t slight enough to escape Michael’s notice. 

“Aw, is wittle Gavvy afwaid of thunder?” Michael says in a baby voice. Gavin tries to suppress the blush that threatens to rise up on his cheeks, hiding it by throwing the nearest object, which happens to be a rolled up pair of socks. Michael dodges, chuckling at Gavin’s obvious discomfort.

“All right, seriously, what’s up?” 

“It’s not that I’m scared, it’s just really loud. Gives me a headache is what it does.” Michael looks at Gavin with something akin to sympathy for a moment, before grinning and ruffling Gavin’s hair, making it even messier than usual. They smile at each other for a few seconds when suddenly a thought occurs to the younger male. He looks to the floor, as if shy, and says,

“Y’know, since your room pretty much got minged by rain, I was thinking that you could stay in here. I mean, I could go sleep on the sofa in the living room, it looks quite comfortable and you could stay here, unless you don’t want to, though I don’t see where else you would want to sleep… unless you want to take the sofa but I don’t see why you would when I’m offering you my perfectly top room…” Gavin might have went on if Michael had not slapped his hand over the rambling idiot’s mouth.

“Gav, your bed is fuckin huge. I'm pretty sure we could both fit on it with space to spare. No homo. Now shut up.” With that, Michael flops down onto the bed, burrowing himself under the covers. He lifts up Gavin’s laptop to move it out of the way and happens to glance at the screen.

“What the fuck?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, cliffhanger, boooooooooooooo. 
> 
> But I really wanted to post up this update so chapter 7 is going to basically be a part 2 of this.
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who commented and kudos'd and bookmarked and just breathed on this. It means a lot to me and I hope I can keep everyone's interest and make this even better. 
> 
> I will eventually get to editing the earlier chapters. I'm a bit unhappy with some parts and might change up some things, though I'm not sure exactly how I want to do it. I noticed how some people had suggestions and I'm definitely going to use them as well as keep in mind any critisisms(did I even spell that right?) I may get. 
> 
> xoxo


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the third day of their stay in Alabama, the boys awoke with a confusing mix of refreshment and awkwardness.

“Listen, Michael, I can explain.” 

“You can explain how you’re stalking yourself? On fan pages? I thought you refused to go for that shit!” Michael’s lips begin to twitch up and Gavin looks at him confused before scrambling towards the laptop and snatching it out of the ginger’s hands. He looks at the screen and nearly laughs in relief as all that can be seen is a picture of himself photoshopped into a Creeper outfit. He realizes that his cursor is hovering over a link, resulting in a pop up window that leaves the web page he was actually on dark and nearly unreadable. He exits out of his web browser, closing the laptop before laying it on a nearby dresser and jumps on the bed. Michael shakes his head in amusement, laying back on the fluffy pillows adorning Gavin’s bed and listens to the faint sound of rain hitting the cabin. He closes his eyes, his breath evening out as the natural noises lull him into a relaxed state. Gavin lays down, facing the other man, a respectable distance (all of four inches) away. He watches Michael’s chest inflate with every inhaled breath, slowly deflating as he breathes out. It has a hypnotic effect on Gavin, his eyes drifting shut as he rests his head on one hand propped up by his elbow. Through slitted eyes, Michael seems to be shimmering in all the colors that make up his essence. Gavin would swear that the waves emanating off the other man was Michael’s aura and not a figment of his own imagination. The waves were calming, a seemingly contradicting feeling considering who it was coming from. But they were calming nonetheless and Gavin found himself smiling as his eyes struggled to stay partially open to keep up the image. He didn’t notice Michael’s eyes lazily flutter open to see Gavin’s half-lidded gaze upon him. He didn’t notice the look of surprise that crossed the other’s face, not from the weirdness of the situation, but from the lack of weird he felt. And when Michael shifted so that he was facing Gavin, the Brit didn’t notice because he was already fast asleep, the drum of contentment resonating throughout his dreams. 

 

***

On the third day of their stay in Alabama, the boys awoke with a confusing mix of refreshment and awkwardness. 

Michael had clutched the pillow he was laying on tighter as he felt himself become more aware. It was the best sleep he had in a while and he was reluctant to let go of it so quickly. He actually might have drifted off again if not for the strange coming and going of warmth on his face. His eyelids lifted with an effort the world’s strongest man should admire and he blinked once, twice, three times before the image in front of him became clear and focused. Gavin was dangerously close, his hair brushing against Michael’s forehead, nose less than an inch from the other’s. The warmth Michael felt on his face was Gavin’s soft breath, air shivering past his parted lips to ghost across Michael’s suddenly sensitive skin. He felt a blush creep across his features, confusion shadowing it because this was strange. He hadn’t blushed since grade school when he tried to ask a girl to dance and she rejected him in front of his whole class. He hadn’t blushed when he asked out Lindesay or even when he made a complete fool of himself when he tried to seduce her. No, this was really strange. So strange, that Michael found himself incapable of moving as he went about dissecting the situation. 

And when asked about it as he reminisced to friends, he would maintain the excuse that he was so comfortable and still half-asleep that the thought never occurred to him that perhaps him and Gavin were a bit _too_ close and maybe he should've done something called 'move back'.

He was still grasping the strangeness of it all when Gavin let out a low groan, signaling that he was about to awaken. The sound was like a gunshot to Michael’s ears and he shot up into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes vigorously. Gavin groaned again, louder this time, and muttered something intelligible as his eyes began to open as well. 

Michael decided to take this time to get out of bed, adjusting his boxers which were still slightly damp from the night before and he absentmindedly realizes that that may be a bit gross and he should shower. He goes to the window, gently pushing aside the drapes and whispers a small “whoa” as the light shines in. The view outside shows the trees surrounding the cabin glistening with leftover rain, droplets sparkling to the wet ground as a breeze brushes them off leaves. The sky is a wonderous hue of purplish pinks and blues, laced at the edges with a golden hum of light. It’s a beautiful sight, one Michael is admiring when Gavin fully awakes. He quietly gets out of the bed, tiptoeing towards the still awestruck male and peeks over his shoulder to see the view for himself. They stand together, Michael subconsciously acknowledging the presence of Gavin by shifting slightly to the side, and Gavin holding himself back from resting his chin on Michael’s shoulder. 

They stand at the window together, neither knowing that the events from the night before were the catalysts for what would soon occur. 

 

***

 

“You tried to bribe my daughter with candy for information? In what state of mind did that seem logical, Ray?” The man in question smiles sheepishly, not regretting his course of action, just ruing the fact that he got caught.

“Well, I mean… I was successful right? But then I got caught… but I was still successful in getting the information, so I’m going to count that as a win in my book.” Geoff passes his palm down his face, as if trying to rub the whole situation away. He contemplates refusing to tell Ray anything, out of respect to Gavin’s privacy… But this is Geoff here. He respects no one.

“Gavin’s dick is hard for Michael so they’re on a honeymoon of sorts that I planned so he can stop being emo and shit.” Ray nods at this statement, as if it makes perfect sense. He kind of thought that the bromance between the two guys was a bit too heavy to be normal anyway, but he does have one question. 

“What about X-Ray and Vav though? Why can’t I get some love?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't even begin to make up excuses for how long this took to post up. I've been procrastinating because I keep playing League of Legends instead of typing. (It's becoming an addiction). But never mind that... I know you guys thought that Michael was going to find out about Gavin's new obsession with fanfiction, but I didn't want that to happen yet which is why this chapter is just a little fluff and pretty much a filler. The actual Mavin is still a few chapters away but it _will_ happen before you guys get old. I swear. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented, complimented, kudos'd, bookmarked, and made me make inhuman noises. 
> 
> <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff knew he was screwed when Lindsay timed her visit just as Griffon left to go pick up Millie from school. And she had brought Ray. By the ear.

Lindsay knows something is up. She’s not stupid, she can use Google and there is absolutely no such thing as “Gametime in Montgomery” or any other variation. 

Geoff is a conniving little liar. And she’s going to get to the bottom of this.

 

***

 

“So when is this convention thing again?” Michael asks as he looks at the game selections by the TV. Gavin chews on his bottom lip as he tries to come up with an answer, pretending to check his phone for the exact time. He contemplates texting Geoff for some help, then decides against it because now Michael is looking at him expectantly. He tries to think fast, picking a day that gives him time to figure something out. 

“Uh… Saturday. Saturday afternoon.” Michael nods, having no reason to believe the younger man is lying and holds up a copy of Left4Dead triumphantly. Gavin groans, catching the controller thrown at him and wonders if he has time to make up some excuse to do something other than this, as Michael looks at his own phone for a second. 

Before he can say that he has to use the bathroom or go fold clothes, Michael flops down on the sofa, draping his legs over Gavin’s lap. The Brit freezes, watching Michael out of the corner of his eye obliviously set the game up. He forces his breath to remain at a reasonable pace but there’s nothing he can do about his heart, which is thumping so loud, he’s sure the Jersey-born can hear it. He grabs the controller in a tight grip and tries his best to pay attention to what’s going on on the screen in front of him.

But in reality, all he can focus on is the warmth gracing his lap and how every time Michael laughs or yells at him for dying a million and two times, Gavin can feel the vibrations shoot from his legs straight to his heart. It’s almost unbearable and he’s _thisclose_ to pulling Michael full onto his lap, back to chest, all homo, no shame. Seeing how that’s not going to happen, Gavin gives up on even pretending to try to play like he knows what he’s doing and instead contents himself with staring at Michael.

 

***

 

He can feel the stare burning into the side of his head and he wants to snap at the guy, but Michael’s confused and suspicious. He now knows there isn’t a convention for gaming here after Lindsay texted him earlier, but he’s been trying to play it cool. What’s the point of this whole affair? Geoff sent them here for a reason and Gavin is obviously in on it from the way he blatantly lied to his face. So why all the secrecy and hidden agendas? 

Should he wait it out and see if Gavin ‘fesses up, or does he confront him right now? 

Decisions, Decisions.

 

***

 

Geoff knew he was screwed when Lindsay timed her visit just as Griffon left to go pick up Millie from school. And she had brought Ray. By the ear.

“Is it true?” She had asked in a mildly incredulous tone while Ray struggled to get out of her grip, to no avail.

He knew right away what she was asking and he wondered if this was karma biting him in the ass for all the pranks and times he fucked with his family and friends. He wondered if he should try stalling for a while, until Griffon came back and offered her superior wisdom, but by the fire burning in Lindsay’s eyes, Geoff knew he would have no such chance. 

So here they were sitting, in the Ramsey’s living room, Ray rubbing his ear with a sheepish look and Lindsay staring down Geoff with an intensity to burn down houses. He took a breath, but before he could say anything, she spoke up.

“How long has Gavin felt this way?” She asked, head tilted lightly to the side. Geoff wished she would show some type of emotion so he could choose his words carefully, but she was like a fuckin rock.

“I found out a few weeks ago… but it might have been longer.” She nodded as if this was what she expected. 

“Y’know. I have a good relationship with Michael. He’s hilarious, he’s such a great listener, and well… the sex is amazing,” She pauses and looks away, biting her bottom lip, “but… sometimes it feels like we’re just passing the time. As if this is temporary and we’re just having fun until the real thing comes along. I mean, I really like Michael, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t _love_ him.” 

Ray quietly excuses himself, obviously feeling a little awkward and goes into the kitchen, probably to get something to drink. Geoff is a little shocked to be honest, not expecting this sort of turn of events. 

“Before you say anything, this isn’t exactly because of Gavin. I was thinking about this before the trip was even mentioned, as Michael spent more time at work than he did at the apartment. I just… I don’t know… I guess I’m giving my blessings to Gavin through you. The only problem is… I don’t know how to tell Michael.” Geoff takes a moment to absorb this, not believing this stroke of luck. His mouth morphs into one of his signature shark-eating grins and leans towards Lindsay, a plan already taking form in his head.

“RAY! GET YOUR BORDER-CROSSING ASS OVER HERE, WE NEED YOUR HELP.” 

“WHY IS IT ALWAYS ABOUT THE COLOR OF MY SKIN???? GODDAMN IT GEOFF.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* Sorry for the long wait guys, I haven't been feeling up to writing these last two weeks due to work and some personal issues. BUT, I've got the next chapter all planned out and it'll be better than this piece of crap... hopefully.
> 
> Thank you everyone who is still bearing with me and giving such positive feedback... you guys are too good to me. ;_;


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What the fuck are you doing, Gavin?” The man in question doesn’t even bother to look over, too absorbed in the content on his phone.
> 
> “Reading.”
> 
> “Reading what?”
> 
> “Stuff.”

It’s Wednesday night and Gavin is worried. Michael’s room is still completely uninhabitable and the man has been acting strange all day. By strange, Gavin means that he hasn’t been beaten, bruised, or yelled at at all. This is unacceptable.

Then there’s the fact that Michael will be staying in Gavin’s room again tonight and they’ll be sleeping next to each other and he should really be bursting with ecstasy about this, but it’s just too strange. 

He wants to go on his laptop and see if any of his favorite fanfics got updated or if any new ones were posted, but he’s been reluctant to even touch the thing since he was nearly caught red-handed the night before. So he does the next best thing and opens the webpage up on his phone and reads in the dark, laid back against the headboard of his bed, back cushioned by two pillows propped up against each other. 

Meanwhile, Michael is in the living room, pacing the space between the sofa and the flat screen, trying to get a hold of Lindsay. She hasn’t answered a text since this morning and he’s been calling for the past ten minutes, but all he gets is her voicemail. He would worry if this was the first time Lindsay suddenly dropped off the face of the earth, but since it wasn’t, he tries to convince himself she was comatose (as in sleeping like the dead as she so often does) or busy with the Roosterteeth crew. 

He sighs and finally plugs his phone to charge, leaving it on one of the cushions. He walks down the hall, pausing to peer into his old room. It’s still pretty bad in there, the air smelling like damp clothes not properly dried and wet wood. He steps in, observing the damage up close, as if that would really help anything. Michael reaches for his suitcase, cringing at the squishy sounds it makes as he props it on its side and works the zipper open. He immediately recoils as the smell hits him like a slap in the face and decides to quit while he’s not so ahead. Walking out the room, he shuts the door behind him and makes his way over to Gavin’s, ready to turn in for the night. 

As he steps through the doorway, he notices that the lights are off and reaches for the light switch. But as he does so, he notices Gavin’s figure on the bed, face dimly lit up by the screen of his phone that’s less than three inches away from his nose. Michael pauses and watches the other’s eyes dart side to side, obviously entranced by whatever’s on the phone screen. A smile is causing Gavin’s lips to tip upward slightly on one side, giving him an adorable half grin. And at that thought, Michael stops himself. Because when was anything that Gavin did “adorable”? What he meant to think was “annoying” because that’s all Gavin ever was. Annoying. That’s all he was ever supposed to be. Yeah, he could be a variety of annoying, like “hilariously annoying”, “amusingly annoying” or the more often than not, “ohmyfuckingchristshutthefuckup annoying”, but never adorable. So Michael decides that his brain had a mini malfunction from weariness and flicks the light switch. He laughs as Gavin makes a high-pitched squeak and attempts to shield his eyes with a pillow.

“MICHAEL. WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? IT’S SO BRIGHT.” Gavin lowers the pillow inch by inch, squinting in Michael’s direction as his eyes attempt to get used to the light again. 

“I’m tired.”

“So you turn on the light? That’s a bit counterproductive, don’t you think?” Michael has to pause because that’s actually a fair point. But he’ll be damned if he were to admit that out loud. So he pretends that he’s doing Gavin a grand favor by turning the lights off again and makes his way to the other side of the bed.

“Aw bullocks. Now I have to get used to the dark again.”

“Holy fuck, do you ever stop complaining?” 

“Well, you should’ve left the lights off in the first place. There was really no point in turning them on, lad.”

“Well they’re off now, so shut the fuck up.” Gavin sighs and turns on his side, faced away from Michael. There’s a click and a faint light halo’s Gavin’s head and Michael tries to prop himself up on his elbow to see what was so interesting on that phone. The Brit notices the movement and adjusts his body to make sure that the device can’t be seen unless Michael was right up against him.

“What the fuck are you doing, Gavin?” The man in question doesn’t even bother to look over, too absorbed in the content on his phone.

“Reading.”

“Reading what?”

“Stuff.” Michael growls in frustration and attempts to snatch the phone, but Gavin anticipates this and simply shifts his body even more. Michael lays back on his pillow, closing his eyes, ready to just let it go. But no, that incessant clicking just won’t stop and really, it’s beginning to grate on his nerves. Not that his nerves were particularly stable in the first place.

“Gavin.”

Silence.

“Gavin.”

More silence.

“GAVIN.”

…….

“FUCKIN IDIOT, ANSWER ME.”

And yet, no sound can be heard, other than that nonstop clicking of keys on a cell phone.”

“I know there’s no gaming convention.”

And finally, the activity on the right side of the bed halts, and Michael can tell that his friend isn’t even breathing. 

“What… what do you mean?” 

“Lindsay texted me earlier about it. And after she told me, I decided to do my own checking around and realized that we’re here for nothing. Except that it can’t be for nothing because you obviously knew about it. So spill the fuckin’ beans, Gavin.” It’s a few moments, but Gavin finally turns over, looking at Michael with a frightened expression. Though why he would be scared, the short-tempered man couldn’t tell you. 

Gavin tries to find some bullshit lie to pass off this whole experience as an elaborate joke made up by him and Geoff, but he can’t. Especially since he received his own texts earlier:

Geoff: _Tell Michael._

Gavin: _Tell him what?_

Geoff: _That you like him, fucktard._

Gavin: _How in the hell am I supposed to do that?_

Geoff: _What do I look like? The fuckin love guru? Just tell the guy._

Gavin: _I don’t know about this._

_Ummm… Geoff?_

_Geoff?????_

He hadn’t heard anything from Geoff since then. But those texts were almost like a premonition for this exact moment, except for the fact that Gavin is still at a loss for how to really confess his feelings. How do you go about telling your crush you like him when you’re consumed with the fear that the guy will reject you, or worse, begin to hate you? What do you do when he’s staring at you with an uncanny patience that’s so unlike him, putting you on the spot? 

“Look, Gavin… I know I don’t usually get all sentimental or whatever, but if it’s something serious, you can tell me. I’m here for you, buddy.”

“I don’t think you will be once I tell you, Michael.”

“What do you mean by that?”

_Okay, this is it. It’s now or never, I have to do this now._

“I…. I… I like you. Not in a friend way, but… i-in the more than friend way.” Michael is quiet, looking at Gavin as if he’s waiting for the punch line. As if the Brit would begin laughing any second now, going on about how he almost fooled him and this whole trip was just a joke or whatnot. But Gavin doesn’t laugh. In fact, he looks even more frightened than ever and Michael begins to put it all together. The blushes, the sweetness, the awkwardness. 

“Holy fuck, you’re serious…. You’re serious right now. Holy shit. I don’t even…. Christ.” Gavin sits up, pressing his palms to his eyes, rubbing them vigorously. He wants this to be a dream he could wake up from because this isn’t how he thought this would go. He thought he would have more time. He thought… well, he didn’t really know what he thought, but it wasn’t this.

“I’ll just… I’ll go to the living room.” Gavin mumbles, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. A hand grabs his right arm and he’s pulled back. 

“Wait. I’m not… I’m not like, disgusted or anything. I just… I didn’t see it coming,” Michael bites his lip, noticing the way Gav refuses to even glance in his direction. “How long? How long have you felt this way?” 

Gavin finally turns to look at the other man, trying to suppress the sudden flare of hope in his chest. At least Michael isn’t running and screaming, which was the worst case scenario. 

So he takes a breath and begins at the very start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be Michael's reaction and will mark the climax of this fic. I want this to be about 15 chapters or less, though it really depends on what I decide to add into this story. I have about 3 new ideas for fics I want to get started on, but I refuse to do so until this is done. *sigh* First World Fandom Problems.
> 
> But anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this one and thanks again for all the sweet comments. Virtual roses for all! <3


	10. Not a Chapter

Okay so, clearly this isn't a chapter. After all, it's been over 3 years now since I've even thought about updating this fic. A lot has happened to me in that time, from getting married, moving a thousand miles away (literally), to getting divorced and then moving back. I want to say that that should be excuse enough but I actually feel really guilty about leaving this hanging for so long. I've just reread it and all the comments, including the latest ones that I've seen pop up in my inbox and I'm like fuck. I wish I could continue this, I really do. I had a good thing going on here for the most part. 

But sadly, not only has my writing style changed, but I'm not even really part of the RoosterTeeth fandom anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still adore Gavin's antics and Michael's perpetual anger-not-really-anger. But I don't keep up with the videos (aside from RWBY) and I dont even know much about the new dynamics of the company anymore. 

So I deeply apologize to everyone who has been urging me to continue this for the past few years. I'm sad to say that this story will remain unfinished unless somehow I can go back in time and find my Mavin muse.

As of right now, I'm firmly stuck in the Naruto fandom (help) and if I do happen to pick up writing again, it'll be for that. (Scratch that, Viktuuri stole my heart. All hail Yuuri!! On Ice.)

Again, sorry everyone but hopefully this last post will bring some closure to everyone who might still be waiting or checking this. 

If anyone wants to adopt this, you have my absolute permission to try to continue and finish this in your own way.

Thank you for reading!


End file.
